The Origins of the Occupation

Abstract

This Dossier is a first contribution towards the historical analysis of a phenomenon that has, for the time being, been shown as in continuous transformation. The multifaceted reality of the occupied Valle Theatre has constituted an absolute novelty in the panorama of Italian theatre. It is here described from five different perspectives: the confrontation with the preceding occupations of public spaces in Rome (the search for analogies and differences); the report of the protest initiatives and civil disobedience that preceded and prepared the occupation of the Valle Theatre; the unexpected intervention of some famous lawyers who provided support to a battle that had emerged from the limits of the theatre and flowed into the wider struggle for the defence of historical buildings. Two studies are dedicated to the communication strategies of the squatters, starting from the organisation of the evening events and the language used. Nine analytical tables contain a wealth of documentary material.